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Help a noob with a BMW amp problem

Discussion in 'General Car Audio Discussions' started by aceswerling, Oct 31, 2007.

  1. aceswerling

    aceswerling New Member

    Like many people, I'm not happy with the DSP sound system in my 2000 BMW E39 5 series wagon. I'm going to replace the speakers but I've come across a PPI 6600.2 6 channel amp for a good price. Could I replace the factory amp with it? E39 DSP stereo database gives a lot of information but few solutions.

    I understand BMW separately amplifies each driver in the DSP system. Those 12 channels makes it difficult to simply swap in another amp. I also understand the factory amp is a POS. Has anybody done this swap before? Any lessons learned?

    I've got a couple ideas. One is to split off 6 of the 12 channels to the new amp. Figure I'd do the fronts since the rears don't do much for sound imaging. Would that work?

    Two is to remove the DSP. I never turn it on anyway. Then I'd directly drive the speakers. The problem here is likely to be the crossovers. I bet there aren't any attached to the speakers since frequencies would likely be controlled by the DSP unit. Perhaps I could use outboard crossovers with component speakers. I have some MB Quarts like that in another car.

    If the PPI is a good choice, how much should I pay?
     
    aceswerling, Oct 31, 2007
    #1
  2. electrolytic

    electrolytic Full Member

    Welcome! ha good luck with that! Over my head anyways. Maybe the dealer can at least inform you what you would need, maybe there is a harness you can plug into the system and bypass the amp, i know there's a harness or adapter kit for pretty well everything lol.
     
    electrolytic, Nov 21, 2007
    #2
  3. electrolytic

    electrolytic Full Member

    BMW Stereo Upgrades - The Ultimate BMW Sound Webpage

    This might help!, lot's of info

    BMW Stereo Upgrades
    E34 5 Series, E36 3 Series & E46 3 Series

    The E-34 (E36, E46, and E39 too for that matter) is actually a rather easy car
    to upgrade once you realize the unusual design of the BMW system's architecture.
    Most systems, including any aftermarket speakers you find, consider the speaker's
    crossover as part of the speaker.

    BMW on the other hand, puts the crossover components in the amplifier chassis.
    There is no place outside the BMW amp to get the full-range signal that an
    aftermarket set of speakers requires to properly operate. This essentially means
    that if you want to replace the speakers you will need to replace the amplifier too.
    On the other hand, with the right amplifier choice, it is possible to replace the amp
    without replacing the speakers if you are so inclined. The best way to do this is
    with a multichannel amp which has a built-in electronic crossover. It can get a little
    tricky to set-up, but it is possible if you should want to keep the factory speakers.
    The up-side of BMW's architecture is that you can use virtually all of the factory
    wiring, since the vehicle's stock harness brings everything back to a convenient
    point in the trunk.
     
    electrolytic, Nov 21, 2007
    #3